I'll be right by your side
by Allons-y92
Summary: *Spoilers for series one of Broadchurch included* After coming to terms with what had happened, Ellie is back on her feet but can she convince her boss to get back on his feet?
1. Chapter 1

The sound of the crashing waves and brief muffles of a females voice echoed through Alec's ears as he stood on the sand with his hands dug deep into his pockets, one clenching his phone the other his keys. A constant ache tore across his chest. His eyes closed and reopened slowly but continuously as he breathed deeply in through is nose and out through his mouth. "Sir.. are you even listening to me?" Ellie raised her voice a little as she looked at him. "Hm? Yes, got it.." Alec gave a quick nod, he hadn't a clue what Ellie had just said and desperately hoped she wouldn't question him on it. "Right.." she rolled her eyes knowing damn well he hadn't taken anything that she said in.

Ellie had chose to stand her grounds and continue in an environment and job she loved doing, despite the recent findings with her husband, soon to be ex-husband. She wasn't going to let him ruin her career, not only that she had two children to look after, feed and cloth. The money had to come from somewhere. She had got her sister back on her feet too, she was now her nephew's babysitter for the time being.

"We should head back to the station, and inform SOCO about what we have found" Ellie muttered, her eyes were fixed on Alec as she spoke. "Don't want people to start talking now do we eh? Although it wouldn't be that bad in Brian's case, rumor goes round about you and I and he hears, that will get him off my back" She trailed off. Alec snapped out of his thoughts once again "We are not spreading rumors like that, that.. that's just wrong, no offense and all.." Alec replied before he began to walk across the sand and off the beach, Ellie followed on behind. Alec had somehow convinced the team to allow him back to work on light duties only of course given his condition.

Reaching the path again, Alec groaned quietly, the slightest of walks ended up being so much pressure on his heart now and despite being nagged by Ellie and his Doctors near enough every day to go ahead with the surgery he hadn't, yet. Not wanting to admit it, Alec was scared, scared he wouldn't make it through the surgery which there was a high chance he wouldn't. He couldn't bare his daughter (finally) trying to contact him one day to find out he had died, the thought of it made him feel sick. "Sir? Are you okay?" Ellie asked quickly as she caught up with him. Noticing his face being paler she gulped. "Mhm, i'm fine" It was always Alec's reply, she gave a soft sigh after mouthing his exact words as he said them, they both then proceeded back to the police station, Alec at a steady pace.


	2. Chapter 2

A sigh of relief escaped from Alec's lips as he sat down on the small sofa in his office. He'd volunteered Ellie to inform SOCO about their findings and hoped it related to an ongoing case involving an elderly woman's belongings being stolen. Alec dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a strip of tablets, pushing two small pills out into his hand he blinked slowly and widened his eyes each time they opened desperately hoping the blurred vision would ease off as quick as it started. Beginning to see a little more after several moments, he managed to place the two tablets into his mouth before swallowing them with a bit of water he had left in a bottle on the table in front of him.

"Right.." Ellie barged into his office unexpectedly causing Alec to jump and open his eyes quickly. "I've passed our find.." she paused mid sentence as he butted in "do you mind not barging in on me like that? I could of been, well I don't know. Knock next time yeah?" Ellie rolled her eyes "Sorry.." she replied. "Mhm, carry on?" he grunted before Ellie continued "I've passed our findings on just a waiting game until they get back to us" she explained, Alec then gave a brief nod as he slipped the strip of tablets back into his pockets. "Please tell me that wasn't tablets you've just put back in your pocket?" She questioned, Alec instantly shook his head. "Bloody liar" Ellie replied quickly and shook her head before checking the time. "Okay, well that's me clocking off. Fancy coming back to mine for a bite to eat?" She suggested on the off chance. "Don't worry, you don't have to bring everything and the kitchen sink this time" she smirked. He looked round to her as he stood up slowly, she swallowed hard noticing his face had become a lot paler. "I-I.. I mean you don't have to just, I dunno.." she found her self blabbering on but Alec quickly stepped in with a response "Yes..Ok." He nodded.

Still shocked that he had said yes, Ellie got into her car, Alec in the passenger seat before she drove them both back to her new place which he hadn't yet seen. The constant images of Joe flushed through her mind each time she was in the old house, Tom also found it very uncomfortable living in the house too which was why they had to move. It wasn't a long drive home, not as long as her previous house anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

On arrival, Alec took his seatbelt off and opened the car door once she had parked up. He had hoped the ache and tightness across his chest would of eased off by now, it had been a while since he took the tablets and knew they'd of normally kicked in by now. Ellie got out of the car and closed the door, she rummaged through her set of keys to find the one for her front door. Hearing a small gasp and a slight sudden movement from Alec caught her eye, it drew her attention. "Sir, wh..what's wrong?" she asked hurrying over to him. Her voice echoed through him as he tried to look at her, his eyes widened quickly desperate to stay focused on her. It was too much of an effort to even stutter his words out, it was just a load of gibberish. "Sh.. oh god" Ellie muttered as she tried to hold him upright.

"Don't you do this to me again!" She raised her voice as she spoke. Ellie gulped hearing Alec's gasps and sudden chokes as he tried to get as much oxygen in as he could. "Stay with me, open your bloody eyes!" she yelled tapping his face gently as she still had hold of him. "Im calling an ambulance.." she muttered and carefully guided him to the ground rather than letting him fall. Ellie took her phone out "Typical!" She cursed seeing her battery was dead on it. "Alec I need your phone!" Panic had taken over a little, it was noticeable in her voice and with barely little response from him, she began to check his pockets soon to find his phone. "How the hell do you work these things?" she asked herself and eventually unlocked the phone. Ellie bit down on her lip as she spotted the wallpaper on the screen, it was himself and his daughter. Shaking her head she dialed 999 "Oi, you better still be breathing.." she nudged Alec who's frail body remained still. "Respond to me you Scottish idiot! Sorry not you.." she replied instantly after hearing the operator talking on the other end of the phone.

Ellie had been given instructions by the operator after she had explained Alec's condition, or at least what she knew of it and the current situation he was in down the phone. Placing the phone on loud speaker she set it on the ground and followed his instructions, checking he was breathing was the first one (other than her telling him he was no longer conscious). "NO!" she yelled. The odd curtain twitched as the commotion was heard from inside people's houses. The operator began to give her steps to follow in order to resuscitate him. "Gee don't make me kiss him, he'd hate that as much as I would.." she muttered before being reassured that it was now 'hands only CPR'.

The counting went on and on as she pressed her hands down onto Alec's chest, by this point people had come outside to see what was going on. Tom opened the front door to their house and hurried out "Mum? Wh-what's happened?" he asked a little startled. "Tom, just go back inside sweetheart with Auntie Lucy.." his mother replied still trying to remain focused on the number of compressions she was on. Lost for words, Tom backed away and headed inside the house again where he explained to his Auntie what was going on, or atleast what he thought was going on.

"Don't bloody die on me for Christ sake!" Ellie yelled becoming somewhat emotional, her arms were becoming tired yet she continued the compressions. "Where is that sodding ambulance?!" she hissed and quietened quickly as she heard the sirens finally echoing through the town, gradually getting closer and closer.

Ellie found herself being moved aside as the paramedics took over from her, firstly unbuttoning his shirt. She stood over them all just watching on at their attempts to bring him back. She wiped her dampened cheeks slowly, she was crying. "Ok, clear" she over heard the medic and frowned before stumbling back seeing Alec's body jerking a little, the pads on his bare chest had just shocked his heart. "Oh my god.." she muttered looking away. It felt like forever to Ellie but finally the words "we've got him back" sounded in her ears and she gave a huge sigh of relief as she looked back down to the three of them.


	4. Chapter 4

The constant noise of a siren caused Alec to groan as he came round. Now in the ambulance and breathing through an oxygen mask he frowned in slight confusion. Ellie raised her head up and looked at him "hey.." she spoke softly, she couldn't let him go through all this on his own. No matter how stubborn he was. "Just sh, don't speak. Save it for when you're better or if it's something that's going to offend me best not to say it at all" She told him quickly knowing he was about to speak. "You died on me Alec, not nearly. You bloody died on me" Ellie sighed calming herself down again. "You need to get this sorted. This is no life at all. Ah, no talking" she kept telling him.

Alec remained silent apart from the odd groan for the journey to hospital, he was just thinking about what Ellie had said, she was right, he had to get it sorted and soon. He let his eyes close with exhaustion as they finally reached the hospital. The Doctors were filled in by the paramedics about what had happened as Ellie followed them in quickly. She was then asked to wait outside the room whilst they assessed Alec. Ellie took the chance then to call Tom on the house phone, from Alec's since her battery was still flat. "Tom, it's mum. Listen, im up the hospital with Alec. He's not very well darling so i'm going to stay up here with him to make sure he's ok.." she explained. Tom was beginning to think his mum and Alec were going to become 'boyfriend and girlfriend' soon. He didn't really respond to her but understood what she had said "I love you too mum, so does Freddie" he told her before passing the phone to his Auntie like he'd been asked too. Ellie began to explain to her sister in more of an adult way about Alec.

"Thank you Lucy. Goodbye." Ellie ended the call after being reassured that her sister was fine to have the kids for as long as she needed. She gave a quick look in through the glass in the doors and sighed before sitting down on a chair nearby. She began to look at Alec's photo's on his phone. "You strange bloke.." she muttered spotting the odd random photo of an object and soon stumbled across some of his daughter, she was very pretty also looked a lot like her father. She had noticed there were none of his ex-wife, there again why would there be. Shaking her head she slipped the phone back into her pocket already feeling a little guilty for looking at just a few photos.

"Mrs Hardy?" A doctor spoke, not realizing what he had said at first she looked up. The doctor thought Ellie was his wife, it suddenly twigged. "Oh, i'm not his wife. Just a friend. Only person he has around here" she told him. A little hesitant he nodded "Oh, i'm sorry for the misunderstanding.." he told her. Ellie shook her head accepting his apology "is he ok?" she asked desperate to know. The doctor gave a sigh indicating he wasn't. "He's in a pretty bad way" he explained. "He needs that operation as soon as.." he added. Ellie closed her eyes for a moment and nodded slowly "I've tried, I really have tried to talk him into it" she rubbed her forehead as she spoke. "Can I see him? Talk some sense into him maybe?" Ellie asked, the doctor gave a nod and held the door open for her "just don't stress him out yeah?" he followed her into the room slowly. "I'll try not to, apparently I do it a lot" she sighed approaching his bedside.

Alec wasn't very talkative, he was just tired and in pain. Ellie spoke to him calmly desperate to convince him to go ahead with the surgery. It did take some convincing, he was stubborn what more could she of expected? Finally with a nod (she hoped was a yes to him going ahead with it) she informed the doctor as quick as she could. Obviously they needed full consent from Alec, that meant him signing the forms to say he agreed and understood the risks, all of which were explained to him by the doctor. He was handed a pen and carefully scribbled at the bottom of the page. Ellie stood back beside him after the doctor had left once again. "Must be one of the very few things you've done that i've agreed on.." she smiled weakly as she looked at him. "G-guess i've seen sense" His voice croaked heavily as he mumbled under the oxygen mask. She chuckled and nodded "You are hard work though, with everything" she told him, he just rolled his eyes and shook his head.


	5. Chapter 5

Ellie had spent a few hours with Alec, she didn't want him to be alone. It must of been so scary for him. A doctor kept popping in and out so did a nurse to check on his obs etc. At the moment he was stable when the doctor reappeared with some news. "Good evening, I have some news regarding your surgery. We have you booked in for tomorrow morning" He smiled, Alec didn't seem pleased it was more so fear than anything though. "Hey, that's great Alec, you're gonna get better" Ellie told him smiling, it soon dropped as she saw the fear in his eyes. "Alec it's ok to be scared, i'd be a mess too" she smiled again, reassuringly. The doctor's eyes switched between the two as Ellie spoke. "Ok, just try and get some rest Mr Hardy and I will see you tomorrow morning, bright an early.." He smiled. Alec looked back at the doctor giving a brief nod "Yes, uhm, ok thank you" he mumbled before the doctor left. "I should be going too, i'll be back up in the morning before you go down. I promise" Ellie told him quickly as she put her bag strap over her body. "Goodnight, Sir.." she smiled and left before he had the chance to say no. Alec just sighed "Bye.." he muttered as he closed his eyes again for the night.

"Rise and shine Mr Hardy, it's your big day" The nurse smiled walking in with numerous drugs she had been instructed to give him in preparation for his surgery. Alec groaned and opened his eyes, she'd said it like it was a wedding day or something not major surgery he thought. "Ok, I have to give you some medication to start off with, one of which is going to relax you" she smiled, too much for his liking. Alec gave a small nod and watched her administer the medication through the cannula in his hand. "How are you feeling this morning?" She asked before he sighed slightly "Fine.." he responded, his voice croaking as he did. "Right" The nurse looked at him "Well, they will be in shortly to take you down to theatre, just try and stay calm" She told him reassuringly.

"Have I missed him?" Ellie spoke quickly as she hurried into his room before sighing "Oh no" she muttered, he'd already gone down. Ellie poked her head out of the door and spotted the doctors taking him down the corridor "wait wait!" she yelled and attempted to run down to them. She caught her breath back as she lent on the side of the bed. "S-s-sorry i'm late. I had to wish you luck though" Ellie told Alec, noticed how drugged up and sleepy he looked. "It'll be ok, I promise you" She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'll be here when you wake up" Alec rolled his eyes "B-brilliant sight then eh?" he spoke quietly, Ellie chuckled. "By that I meant familiar face you idiot" she smirked. "Just don't die because who else could I annoy if you did?" Ellie tried to make the conversation a little brighter than it was.

"Th-th-thank you" Alec mumbled. Standing back Ellie closed her eyes as a tear fell. It was nice of him to say thank you to her, she wasn't quite sure what for but she felt appreciated. Slumping down on the chair outside the theatres she sighed knowing it was going to be a long wait. Not having to worry about someone being there for her two children she knew she could wait for as long as she wanted. She had soon been told to get herself something to eat and drink, she was reassured that someone would come and let her know when she was able to go and see him.

"Ok Mr Hardy, we're going to give you something to send you off to sleep now" The Anaesthetist spoke before slowly injecting him with the medication. His eyes became heavier and he drifted off to sleep.

"Daddy stop it!" The young girl giggled and wriggled around as her father tickled her "Oh I've got you now!" The Scottish male spoke as he picked up his 7 year old daughter and spun her around in circles, more giggles were heard from the child. He put the child down and ran across the grass at a slow pace for her to catch him, letting her get him he flopped to the ground where the little girl climbed onto him. "She's got me ahh!" He laughed as the pair were play fighting. "I love you Daddy" she smiled now laid beside him. "I love you too darling" He replied quickly. "To the moon and stars?" She asked before he nodded "Oh yes, to the moon and stars my princess"


	6. Chapter 6

"Alec? Alec sweeite you going to open your eyes for me?" A soft female voice flourished through his ears. His eyes flickered before opening ever so slightly, the light was too bright for him and so he remained squinting. "Hello, well done" The nurse smiled not that he could see her, everything was a blur as his eyes were trying to adjust to the light. "There is someone here to see you" she told him. Alec opened his eyes more and quicker thinking it was his daughter afterall he'd just been dreaming about her. The look of slight disappointment covered his face when he saw it was Ellie "hello to you too" she rolled her eyes as he just grunted beneath an oxygen which was back on his face again. "I told you i'd be here when you woke, who else was you expecting the Queen?" she smirked.

Blinking slowly he looked down to his chest at the dressing going down the middle of it before closing his tired eyes once again. "I was going to get you some seeded grapes but personally I don't really want you to die on me again" Ellie smiled "I just stuck to seedless" she placed the bag of grapes on the small table. Alec opened his eyes again and looked at her "Uh, th-thanks" he muttered quietly. "Docs say it all went well, you're lucky" Ellie told him pinching a grape for herself. "I'll feed you them later, when you're allowed" she smirked again. "I am n-n-not a baby Miller.." he sat up a little more before wincing quietly.


	7. Chapter 7

"Right, have you got everything?" Ellie asked picking up the small hospital bag. It had been a few days now since Alec's surgery and he was going home, well to Ellie's to stay for a bit after he'd been told he needed to stay with someone for a bit. "For the last time, yes.." he nodded quickly "I can carry my own bag too" he added. Ellie quickly shook her head "strict instructions, no heavy lifting" she replied back to him. "Now come on, you should count yourself lucky I'm not charging you taxi fee's" she smirked jokingly. "I can give you a pay cut if you carry on with that sarcasm" Alec glared at her. "Oh, he's back Mr grump. Can we just leave him here?" Ellie sighed heading out of the room alongside Alec. "Mr grump? It's who I am Miller, how else would you like me to be?" he asked. "Nice? Kind and not grumpy" Ellie laughed. "Ok, how about I thank you for everything you've done lately?" Alec suggested. "By just saying that? I guess I can live with that" she smirked again. "How else do I say thank you? If I did this.." he paused and stepped closer to her. Alec planted a soft kiss on her cheek not knowing Ellie was going to unexpectedly turn her head the wrong way so their lips met. He let his eyes close holding his lips against Ellie's who refused to pull away, she weirdly enjoyed it.

Alec quickly pulled away suddenly realizing what he was doing "I-I Miller!"


End file.
